Three-dimensional Cell Culture Methods Research Articles

Potential anticancer activities of schisandracaurin C against NTERA-2 cancer stem cells

Cancer is a global concern and the potential targeting of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has gained major attention in anticancer drug discovery research. Various natural compounds have shown promising effects in suppressing cancer, prompting scientific interest. In this study, we investigated the anti-CSC properties of schisandracaurin C, a novel compound derived from the Vietnamese plant Schisandra cauliflora. To evaluate its anti-CSC efficacy, we employed the MTT assay, flow cytometry analysis, the caspase-3 assay and a three-dimensional cell culture method, focusing on the teratocarcinoma NTERA-2 cells. Our findings revealed that schisandracaurin C inhibited the growth of NTERA-2 cells with an IC50 value of 16.61±0.13 μM, which was significantly lower than that on HEK-293A healthy embryonic kidney cells (22.72±0.02 μM) (P<0.05). Schisandracaurin C was toxic to NTERA-2 cells within three-dimensional tumorspheres (IC50: 33.47±1.45 μM). The anti-CSC effects of schisandracaurin C on NTERA-2 cells were mediated through apoptosis, as evidenced by increased caspase-3 activity. Schisandracaurin C induced cell cycle arrest at the S phase in NTERA-2 cells. These findings highlight the potential of schisandracaurin C as a promising anti-CSC compound, which warrants further mechanistic and clinical investigations.

Comparative Analysis of Dasatinib Effect between 2D and 3D Tumor Cell Cultures

Three-dimensional cell culture methods are able to confer new predictive relevance to in vitro tumor models. In particular, the 3D multicellular tumor spheroids model is considered to better resemble tumor complexity associated with drug resistance compared to the 2D monolayer model. Recent advances in 3D printing techniques and suitable biomaterials have offered new promises in developing 3D tissue cultures at increased reproducibility and with high-throughput characteristics. In our study, we compared the sensitivity to dasatinib treatment in two different cancer cell lines, prostate cancer cells DU145 and glioblastoma cells U87, cultured in the 3D spheroids model and in the 3D bioprinting model. DU145 and U87 cells were able to proliferate in 3D alginate/gelatin bioprinted structures for two weeks, forming spheroid aggregates. The treatment with dasatinib demonstrated that bioprinted cells were considerably more resistant to drug toxicity than corresponding cells cultured in monolayer, in a way that was comparable to behavior observed in the 3D spheroids model. Recovery and analysis of cells from 3D bioprinted structures led us to hypothesize that dasatinib resistance was dependent on a scarce penetrance of the drug, a phenomenon commonly reported also in spheroids. In conclusion, the 3D bioprinted model utilizing alginate/gelatin hydrogel was demonstrated to be a suitable model in drug screening when spheroid growth is required, offering advantages in feasibility, reproducibility, and scalability compared to the classical 3D spheroids model.

Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Methods in Infectious Diseases and Vaccine Research

Cells, the basic structures of all living organisms, reside in an extracellular matrix consisting of a complex three-dimensional architecture and interact with neighboring cells both mechanically and biochemically. Cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix interactions form a three-dimensional network that maintains tissue specificity and homeostasis. Important biological processes in a cell cycle are regulated by principles organized by the microenvironment surrounding the cell. The conventional cell culture methods failed to mimic in vivo-like structural organization and are insufficient to examine features such as connectivity of cells, cellular morphology, viability, proliferation, differentiation, gene and protein expression, response to stimuli, and drug/vaccine metabolism. Three-dimensional cell culture studies are very important in terms of reducing the need for in vivo studies and creating an intermediate step. Three-dimensional cell culture methods have attracted attention in the literature in recent years, especially in examining the cellular distribution of organs in the presence of infectious diseases, elucidating the pathogenic mechanism of action of viruses, and examining virus–host interactions. This review highlights the use and importance of three-dimensional cell culture methods in the design and characterization of novel vaccine formulations and the pathogenesis of infectious diseases.

Cellular Flocculation Using Concentrated Polymer Brush-Modified Cellulose Nanofibers with Different Fiber Lengths.

In this study, concentrated polymer brush-modified cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) with different fiber lengths were used for the flocculation of cells for systematically studying the mechanism of this unique cellular flocculation based on colloidal flocculation theory. Concentrated poly(p-styrenesulfonic acid sodium salt) brush-grafted CNF (CNF-PSSNa) with different fiber lengths were cultured with three different cell types to examine their influence on floc (cell clusters formed by cellular flocculation) characteristics. The floc size and survival rate could be controlled by modifying the CNF-PSSNa fiber lengths. The three cell types showed the same flocculation tendency after culture, indicating the applicability of the method in different cell lines. After 2 weeks of culture, CNF-PSSNa increased the specific expression of hepatocytes compared to the two-dimensional cell culture. Thus, owing to its wide applicability, high cell viability, and ability to control cell size and improve cell function, this technology could be used as a new three-dimensional cell culture method.

Synthesis of novel 2-acetamide-5-phenylthio-1,3,4-thiadiazole-containing phenyl urea derivatives as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors.

A novel series of 2-acetamide-5-phenylthio-1,3,4-thiadiazol derivatives containing a phenyl urea warhead were synthesized and evaluated as antiproliferative agents. The cytotoxic activities of the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated toward three human cancer cell lines, including HT-29, A431, and PC3, as well as normal HDF cells, using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. The biological results revealed the highest degree of cytotoxic effects for the 4-chloro-containing compound 9e against the A431 cell line. Further assessment by Western blot analysis assay confirmed the induction of apoptosis by compound 9e, with upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2 proteins in A431 cancer cells. In addition, compound 9e inhibited the phosphorylation of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor (VEGFR-2) in A431 cancer cells while the total level of actin protein was unchanged. These results were confirmed by a three-dimensional cell culture method using the hanging drop technique.

Recent Advances in Three-Dimensional Stem Cell Culture Systems and Applications.

Cell culture is one of the most core and fundamental techniques employed in the fields of biology and medicine. At present, although the two-dimensional cell culture method is commonly used in vitro, it is quite different from the cell growth microenvironment in vivo. In recent years, the limitations of two-dimensional culture and the advantages of three-dimensional culture have increasingly attracted more and more attentions. Compared to two-dimensional culture, three-dimensional culture system is better to realistically simulate the local microenvironment of cells, promote the exchange of information among cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM), and retain the original biological characteristics of stem cells. In this review, we first present three-dimensional cell culture methods from two aspects: a scaffold-free culture system and a scaffold-based culture system. The culture method and cell characterizations will be summarized. Then the application of three-dimensional cell culture system is further explored, such as in the fields of drug screening, organoids and assembloids. Finally, the directions for future research of three-dimensional cell culture are stated briefly.

SUMOylation of IGF2BP2 promotes vasculogenic mimicry of glioma via regulating OIP5-AS1/miR-495-3p axis.

Rationale: Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor of human central nervous system, and its rich vascular characteristics make anti-angiogenic therapy become a therapeutic hotspot. However, the existence of glioma VM makes the anti-angiogenic therapy ineffective. SUMOylation is a post-translational modification that affects cell tumorigenicity by regulating the expression and activity of substrate proteins.Methods: The binding and modification of IGF2BP2 and SUMO1 were identified using Ni2+-NTA agarose bead pull-down assays, CO-IP and western blot; and in vitro SUMOylation assays combined with immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence staining were performed to explore the detail affects and regulations of the SUMOylation on IGF2BP2. RT-PCR and western blot were used to detect the expression levels of IGF2BP2, OIP5-AS1, and miR-495-3p in glioma tissues and cell lines. CCK-8 assays, cell transwell assays, and three-dimensional cell culture methods were used for evaluating the function of IGF2BP2, OIP5-AS1, miR-495-3p, HIF1A and MMP14 in biological behaviors of glioma cells. Meantime, RIP and luciferase reporter assays were used for inquiring into the interactions among IGF2BP2, OIP5-AS1, miR-495-3p, HIF1A and MMP14. Eventually, the tumor xenografts in nude mice further as certained the effects of IGF2BP2 SUMOylation on glioma cells.Results: This study proved that IGF2BP2 mainly binds to SUMO1 and was SUMOylated at the lysine residues K497, K505 and K509 sites, which can be reduced by SENP1. SUMOylation increased IGF2BP2 protein expression and blocked its degradation through ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, thereby increasing its stability. The expressions of IGF2BP2 and OIP5-AS1 were up-regulated and the expression of miR-495-3p was down-regulated in both glioma tissues and cells. IGF2BP2 enhances the stability of OIP5-AS1, thereby increasing the binding of OIP5-AS1 to miR-495-3p, weakening the binding of miR-495-3p to the 3'UTR of HIF1A and MMP14 mRNA, and ultimately promoting the formation of VM in glioma.Conclusions: This study first revealed that SUMOylation of IGF2BP2 regulated OIP5-AS1/miR-495-3p axis to promote VM formation in glioma cells and xenografts growth in nude mice, providing a new idea for molecular targeted therapy of glioma.

SUMOylation of PUM2 promotes the vasculogenic mimicry of glioma cells via regulating CEBPD.

Glioma is the most common form of primary central nervous malignant tumors. Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is a blood supply channel that is different from endothelial blood vessels in glioma. VM is related to tumor invasion and metastasis. Therefore, it plays an important role to target therapy for glioma VM. Our experimental results showed abnormal expression of UBE2I, PUM2, CEBPD, and DSG2 in glioma cells. The Co‐IP and Immunofluorescence staining were used to detect that PUM2 can be modified by SUMO2/3. The interaction between PUM2 and CEBPD mRNA was detected by the RIP assays. The interaction between transcription factor CEBPD and promoter region of DSG2 was detected by the ChIP assays and luciferase assays. The capacity for migration in glioma cells was observed by the laser holographic microscope. The capacity for invasion in glioma cells was detected by Transwell method. The VM in glioma cells was detected by three‐dimensional cell culture method. The experimental results found that the upregulation of UBE2I in glioma tissues and cells promotes the SUMOylation of PUM2, which decreases not only the stability of PUM2 protein but also decreases the inhibitory effect of PUM2 on CEBPD mRNA. The upregulation of CEBPD promotes the binding to the upstream promoter region of DSG2 gene, further upregulates the expression of DSG2, and finally promotes the development of glioma VM. In conclusion, this study found that the UBE2I/PUM2/CEBPD/DSG2 played crucial roles in regulating glioma VM. It also provides potential targets and alternative strategies for combined treatment of glioma.

Scaffold-based lung tumor culture on porous PLGA microparticle substrates

Scaffold-based cancer cell culture techniques have been gaining prominence especially in the last two decades. These techniques can potentially overcome some of the limitations of current three-dimensional cell culture methods, such as uneven cell distribution, inadequate nutrient diffusion, and uncontrollable size of cell aggregates. Porous scaffolds can provide a convenient support for cell attachment, proliferation and migration, and also allows diffusion of oxygen, nutrients and waste. In this paper, a comparative study was done on porous poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles prepared using three porogens—gelatin, sodium bicarbonate (SBC) or novel poly N-isopropylacrylamide [PNIPAAm] particles, as substrates for lung cancer cell culture. These fibronectin-coated, stable particles (19–42 μm) supported A549 cell attachment at an optimal cell seeding density of 250,000 cells/ mg of particles. PLGA-SBC porous particles had comparatively larger, more interconnected pores, and favored greater cell proliferation up to 9 days than their counterparts. This indicates that pore diameters and interconnectivity have direct implications on scaffold-based cell culture compared to substrates with minimally interconnected pores (PLGA-gelatin) or pores of uniform sizes (PLGA-PMPs). Therefore, PLGA-SBC-based tumor models were chosen for preliminary drug screening studies. The greater drug resistance observed in the lung cancer cells grown on porous particles compared to conventional cell monolayers agrees with previous literature, and indicates that the PLGA-SBC porous microparticle substrates are promising for in vitro tumor or tissue development.

A reliable and affordable 3D tumor spheroid model for natural product drug discovery: A case study of curcumin

Three-dimensional cell culture methods revolutionize the field of anticancer drug discovery, forming an important link-bridge between conventional in vitro and in vivo models and conferring significant clinical and biological relevant data. The current work presents an affordable yet reproducible method of generating homogenous 3D tumor spheroids. Also, a new open source software is adapted to perform an automated image analysis of 3D tumor spheroids and subsequently generate a list of morphological parameters of which could be utilized to determine the response of these spheroids toward treatments. Our data showed that this work could serve as a reliable 3D cell culture platform for preclinical cytotoxicity testing of natural products prior to the expensive and time-consuming animal models

A Three-dimensional Cell Culture Method with a Micromesh Sheet and Its Application to Hepatic Cells.

In vitro 3D cultures of hepatocytes are increasingly being used to assess human hepatic metabolism and toxicity in drug development. Here, we developed an in vitro 3D cell culture method with a microstructured mesh sheet and applied it to culturing human hepatoma HepG2 cells. The micromesh sheet is constituted of fine mesh strands and apertures that are each much larger than a single cell in size. Proliferating on a micromesh sheet, HepG2 cells spread out in a planar manner and then formed a multilayered cell sheet, so that cell-cell adhesion was dominant over cell-substrate adhesion as being different from 2D cultures. In micromesh cultures, the increase rate in thickness of the cell mass was visually slower than that in spheroid cultures, enabling us to clearly observe inside cells of the cell population by microscopy. Micromesh-cultured HepG2 cells showed higher viability compared with spheroid-cultured cells. The multilayered HepG2 cell sheet increased expression of hepatic marker genes and induced cell polarization with bile canalicular membranes. Furthermore, a combination of micromesh cultures with medium perfusion further induced expression of hepatic marker genes in HepG2 cells; especially CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNA increased 86-fold and 43-fold compared with 2D controls, respectively, which were much higher than those in spheroid cultures. Thus, this simple and versatile micromesh culture method holds some advantages over traditional spheroid cultures and is expected to be instrumental in culturing more differentiated hepatic cells such as HepaRG cells and primary hepatocytes for future preclinical testing.

A novel three-dimensional cell culture method enhances antiviral drug screening in primary human cells

Gefitinib is a specific inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and FDA approved for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. In a previous study we could show the in vitro efficacy of gefitinib for treatment of poxvirus infections in monolayer (2D) cultivated cell lines. Permanent cell lines and 2D cultures, however, are known to be rather unphysiological; therefore it is difficult to predict whether determined effective concentrations or the drug efficacy per se are transferable to the in vivo situation. 3D cell cultures, which meanwhile are widely distributed across all fields of research, are a promising tool for more predictive in vitro investigations of antiviral compounds. In this study the spreading of cowpox virus and the antiviral efficacy of gefitinib were analyzed in primary human keratinocytes (NHEK) grown in a novel 3D extracellular matrix-based cell culture model and compared to the respective monolayer culture. 3D-cultivated NHEK grew in a polarized and thus a more physiological manner with altered morphology and close cell–cell contact. Infected cultures showed a strongly elevated sensitivity towards gefitinib. EGFR phosphorylation, cell proliferation, and virus replication were significantly reduced in 3D cultures at gefitinib concentrations which were at least 100-fold lower than those in monolayer cultures and well below the level of cytotoxicity. Our newly established 3D cell culture model with primary human cells is an easy-to-handle alternative to conventional monolayer cell cultures and previously described more complex 3D cell culture systems. It can easily be adapted to other cell types and a broad spectrum of viruses for antiviral drug screening and many other aspects of virus research under more in vivo-like conditions. In consequence, it may contribute to a more targeted realization of necessary in vivo experiments.

毛包構造を模擬した三次元細胞培養法による生体外における毛包再生

毛包構造を模擬した三次元細胞培養法による生体外における毛包再生

Abstract 5388: High throughput toxicity assay for three-dimensional cell cultures

Abstract Introduction: Three-dimensional cell culture methods are currently not widely used for cancer drug discovery due to the specific imaging demands of the systems. In particular there is a need for well validated robust high throughput methods for image-based assays that can be used for high content screening. Methods: Therefore we have developed an image-based three-dimensional high throughput toxicity assay. We used two platforms, the Thermo Scientific ArrayScan VTi and BD FACSCanto™, to characterize antiproliferative potency, cell death and cell cycle distribution. Cultures of uniform spheroids were treated with Irinotecan either alone or in combination with the ABC transporter inhibitor Valspodar, which blocks irinotecan efflux. All drugs were dispensed using a Tecan HP-D300 digital dispenser. Treatment-induced effects were analyzed after 48, 72 or 96 hours with both platforms using dihydro derivatives of fluorescent live cell dyes such as dihydrocalcein, AM and DNA-binding dyes such as DRAQ5™ and Propidium Iodide. Results: All cell lines tested on the two platforms showed the expected effects of Irinotecan alone or in combination with Valspodar and correlations between the Thermo Scientific ArrayScan VTi and BD FACSCanto™ were high, with Pearson tests varying from 0.76 to 0.95, p &amp;lt; 0.05, depending on the cell line used. All results were reproducible and showed minor variation. Conclusion: The demonstrated approach provides an easy-to-handle, low-cost, accurate and reproducible high content method for measuring drug efficacy in three-dimensional cell cultures. This method can be used for high throughput drug discovery screens and personalized cancer care. Citation Format: Kari Trumpi, David A. Egan, Thomas T. Vellinga, Inne H.M Borel Rinkes, Onno W. Kranenburg. High throughput toxicity assay for three-dimensional cell cultures. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5388. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5388

Evaluation of biomimetic scaffold of gelatin–hydroxyapatite crosslink as a novel scaffold for tissue engineering: Biocompatibility evaluation with human PDL fibroblasts, human mesenchymal stromal cells, and primary bone cells

Biomimetic gelatin (gel)-hydroxyapatite (HA) composites have been prepared for studying hard tissue engineering scaffolds. However, the biocompatibility test of this form of material using these three cell types, which are periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblast cells, human mesenchymal stromal cells (HMSc) and primary cells from human hip bone (HBc) has never been evaluated. The objective of this article is to prepare and evaluate the biocompatibility of gel-HA crosslinked scaffold for tissue engineering. Two different scaffolds were prepared: preparation (1), 2.5% gel/2.5% HA; preparation (2), 2.5% gel/5% HA. Three cell types including PDL, HMSc, and HBc were used. Assessment of biocompatibility and osteoblastic cellular responses was evaluated using a three-dimensional cell culture method and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From SEM, it was observed that scaffold (1) exhibits stable porous formation with well-blended and dispersed HA powder. All three cell types were able to proliferate in both scaffolds. The HMSc and HBc got attached to the scaffolds to a significantly higher degree and subsequently proliferated more than PDL. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities of HMSc and HBc were stronger when cultured in scaffold (S1) than (S2). It was seen that the two scaffold preparations show good biocompatibility with all three cell types tested. The better cellular responses with scaffold (S1) than (S2) might be due to the different structural and morphological characteristics, that is, scaffold (S1) retained more small-sized apatite crystals and a better developed pore configuration than scaffold (S2). Based on these findings, the biomimetically synthesized composite scaffolds have the potential to be used in hard tissue regeneration and tissue engineering fields.

Culturing Human Primary Lung Cells at the Air-Media Interface with Magnetic Levitation

Improved methods for producing three dimensional cultures of human lung cells are needed for lung tissue engineering and drug discovery. We have cultured normal endothelial, epithelial, fibroblast, and smooth muscle human primary lung cells (ScienCell Research Laboratories) at the air-media interface using magnetic levitation, a new method for three-dimensional cell culture. Magnetic levitation relies upon a mixture of gold and magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and biocompatible polymers to deliver magnetic nanoparticles to cells and strong magnetic fields to lift cells of the bottom of the petri dish and culture them at the air-liquid interface. It allows cells to grow in three-dimensions, which is of significant interest because, for many applications, three-dimensional culturing provides a better representation of the in vivo environment than traditional two-dimensional cell culture, and it produces tissue that is more representative of natural morphology, protein expression, and response to drugs. Cells can be cultured at the air-liquid interface, which is particularly advantageous for specialized tissue such as lung. Bright field microscopy images are used to study overall cell morphology, and we observe characteristic structures typically attributed to respective cell types, such as the formation of squamous structure for epithelial cells. The production of extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen can be detected using van Gieson's staining. The magnetic levitation method will be further developed to manipulate tissue shape in mono and co-cultures of lung cells. (Funded by NSF Grant# IIP 0945954)

Effects of tensile and compressive strains on response of a chondrocytic cell line embedded in type I collagen gel

Tensile and compressive strains are commonly used in mechanobiological models. Here we report on the development of a novel three-dimensional cell-culture method, which allows both tensile and compressive loads to be applied. Preliminary results were obtained using HCS2/8 chondrocytic cells embedded in type I collagen gel. This construct was subjected to either 16% tension or 14% compression. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that both tension and compression caused significant cell deformation. The collagen gel-embedded HCS2/8 cells were subjected to static tension, dynamic tension, static compression or dynamic compression for 24 h. Dynamic compression led to significantly decreased 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation compared with the control group. PCR analysis revealed upregulation of type II collagen caused by dynamic tension, upregulation of aggrecan caused by static compression, and downregulation of type II collagen and aggrecan caused by dynamic compression. Nitric oxide production was significantly increased by static tension and static compression compared with the control group. Our experimental system effectively applied several types of strain to HCS2/8 cells embedded in collagen gel. Our results suggest that the mode of mechanical strain affects the response of HCS2/8 cells.